Computer Components FAQ

A Yes, to get USB 3.0 speeds, you need special USB 3.0 cables.Yes, USB 3.0 cables are different. Even though you can connect a USB 3.0 device via a USB 2.0 cable, in order to achieve full USB 3.0 speeds you need to re-wire any existing cabling. USB 3.0 cables are generally thicker because they have nine internal wires versus four on USB 2.0 cables. USB 3.0 connectors are also specified to have blue inserts. We figured this out the hard way during the USB flash drive group test.